Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me
The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
[I should have a cup like that. Because it is so true.]
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. I hope those who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful and joyous Christmas Eve and Day. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to take care of. (Rulz for those of you in Brokaw Maine.)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind. Be nice. The list is starting fresh.
3) Running with sharp objects? Do you have Health Savings money you need to spend?
4) Have a great weekend and see you next year!
Please submit any prayer requests to me, “Annie’s Stew” at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks unless we receive an update.
Prayer Requests:
11/6 - D sent an update on his wife Susan, and her battle with cancer. He sent his thanks to everyone for the prayers. They are helping and much appreciated. Susan had an infection which is being treated, but her sodium levels are bad again. She will be sent home soon, but is on restrictive fluids until this is cleared up. The good news is that she has gained some weight back and her voice is much stronger now. Thank you, and please keep up the prayers. They appreciate everyone!
11/20 Update – Susan is out of the hospital, after 2 weeks. For the first time in months, she doesn’t have any drainage tubes. Chemo is on hold for the next 2 weeks, to give her time to rest, recover, and gain some weight back. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers – please continue them!
12/18 Update – Susan has been receiving IV antibiotics at home for the last few weeks. Thankfully her white count is back to normal, and she was able to start chemo again. Some of that cancer did come back, in the meantime, but they think it will be knocked back down now. She has been having abdominal pains. Thank you, everybody, for your prayers.
11/15 – Sponge posted an update on the “First lady”. She is doing OK from the surgery pain-wise, however it appears her compromised immune system from chemo is susceptible to viruses. She has been spiking a fever all weekend.
12/13 Update – The First lady is doing well. She is still on restrictions but things are progressing nicely. The last mammogram showed clean. They are grateful to all who have been praying for her.
11/20 - Bluebell sent an update on grammie winger - good news! At her appointment, the doctor said her bloodwork is nearly perfect and her cancer cell count is dropping. She is in minimal pain. The chemo is working, thanks be to God! She will go back in 3 weeks for another round of chemo and then they will do a CT scan to see if she can have surgery to clean out the rest of the tumors. She is convinced – CONVINCED – that this is due in no small part to the treasured prayers of friends and family! They gave her weeks, and now she is looking at possible remission.
12/17 Update – Bluebell sent along another update from grammie winger. She has had 4 rounds of chemo, which have fried her short term memory (her words) and caused great fatigue. She was scheduled for surgery this week, but the doctor decided she was too weak, so she will continue with chemo until she is stronger. She apologized for not being around much because she can’t follow conversations, but is praying that will get better once her chemo is over. In the meantime, she wishes to share her Christmas greetings with the “motley crew”, and she appreciates every prayer.
11/29 – From about That Time asked for prayers after a lymphoma diagnosis. From about That Time has already begun chemo, and the kids and granddaughter had fun cutting off a ponytail and shaving hair in preparation.
12/13 Update – The first week of chemo was “like buttah”, but the second week was spent in the hospital, dealing with side effects.
12/3 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted an update. She had an MRI on 12/3, and will meet with the oncologist on 12/4, the surgeon on 12/8, and the surgery on 12/11. This is a good thing, because it looks like more tumors are starting to crop up in her liver. It doesn’t appear to have spread beyond there yet, thank goodness.
12/18 Update – Teresa will have a “pump fill” on Friday, then head out of town. (The fill is just Heparin and saline to keep the pump flowing for the next 2 weeks.) After they are back, the pump will have the new chemo medication. The best Christmas present is, if this pump works, she could go 2-3 YEARS before worrying about the cancer coming back. It is truly a Christmas miracle. She wrote that they are blessed to have such stellar medical care nearby and so many people saying prayers on their behalf.
12/6 – M requested prayers for Ron and Sherri. Ron has late stage Parkinson’s/dementia, and he recently fell and shattered his hip. He also requested prayers for Al, who fell through a railing and then down 12 feet, and broke seven ribs. He also punctured his lung. He is home now, recovering.
12/6 – Comrade Flounder asked for prayers for his FIL, who went to the hospital for AFIB, congestive heart, and received two stents. FIL is home now, still short of breath, and has a long road ahead. He is a kind-hearted man and a loving father. Comrade Flounder’s wife lost her mother a few years back to brain cancer, so having this go on is even more difficult during the holidays.
12/6 – neverenoughcaffeine asked for prayers for Tim, an acquaintance through church. He has prostate cancer and begins 28 days straight of radiation.
12/6 – pawn asked for prayers for a dear friend named Julia, who was told by her doctors that she has very little time to live. Julia has an incredible mind and drive. She was a Naval officer, a college professor, a competitive sailor, and a mother. She went to the hospital with pneumonia a couple of weeks ago and left with a terminal illness diagnosis. Please pray to God to give her the strength she needs in these last few days, and the peace that comes from acceptance.
12/12 – Bulg requested prayers for his wife’s brother’s wife, whose dementia has taken a turn for the worse. This week she entered a memory care facility. He asks for prayers for her, Bulg’s brother-in-law, and their two grown daughters. Bulg also asked for prayers for a woman from church who has cancer, and the woman’s granddaughter, who lives with her.
12/13 – Our Country is Screwed asked for prayers for a dear friend’s 3 week old granddaughter who is battling meningitis. They are waiting on results from an MRI. Another friend’s wife is having kidney issues. She has only one kidney, and it isn’t functioning well.
12/13 – San Franpsycho requested prayers for Mrs. F, who sprained her foot due to a fall on 12/12.
12/13 – FenelonSpoke asked for prayers for retired organist Jessie, for strength and for her to feel God’s love. In the past month Jessie’s daughter has died from cancer, as have her two closest friends from church, whom she had known about 85 years.
12/13 – Schnorflepuppy asked for prayers for his wife. She was diagnosed a few weeks back with inflammatory breast cancer and started chemo on 12/2. On 12/3 she spiked a 104 fever and had to be brought to the hospital, where they discovered pneumonia. She has been in ICU for most of the week, to get her enough oxygen and work on the pneumonia. She is improving, but slowly.
12/22 Update – Unfortunately, the improvement trend has reversed. She has spent the last 8 days on oxygen support. The doctors would like to wean her off the vent eventually, but they need to see more improvement in her condition and thus far, they haven’t.
12/16 – Jim in Kalifornia sent an update that surgery went well, and his thanks for the prayers.
12/16 – Banana Dream asked for prayers for his wife, who is having surgery on 12/17 to remove pins, steel, hardware, etc. that was put in a year ago after a really bad break of her ankle. The hardware has caused various nerve issues and inflammation over the last year, so the surgeons will be removing it.
12/17 Update – Banana Dream sent his thanks to everyone who offered prayers for his wife’s surgery. It went well. The surgeon removed most of the hardware. There was one part that was too fused with the bone, so it had to stay in. She is doing well. In about 2 weeks, she should be able to walk and then in 6-8 weeks she should be fine.
12/17 – Annie’s Stew sends thanks to God for notsothoreau, who sends many, many prayer requests from the various comments and postings. Notsothoreau is so diligent and such a sweet person!
12/17 – Weird Dave requested prayers. His parents have realized they need to move to assisted living, but they are 1500 miles from Weird Dave. Prayers for clarity on how to make the necessary changes as efficiently as possible, as well as to find the best place for his parents, that will also work for the entire family.
12/20 – Legally Sufficient asked for prayers for a brother who was having carpal tunnel surgery on Christmas Eve. There was a cancellation, so he took the spot, even though the brother is hosting the family dinner on Christmas Eve.
12/20 – Morgan, longtime lurker, takes tango lessons from Sebastian, whose son, Matias, is recovering from brain surgery. The MRI were read on 12/19, and the surgeons did not remove the entire tumor. Even though the biopsy indicated the tumor was benign, the boy is probably facing several rounds of chemo. Please pray for the boy’s continued recovery in El Salvador.
12/20 – Nurse Ratched requested prayers for her friend T. He is having some unrelenting (probably cancer treatment related) pain and needs comfort – both physically and spiritually.
12/23 – Joe Kidd asked for prayers for his friend, Bill, who is grieving the sudden death of a former girlfriend. They had broken up a few months ago over her alcohol use. Bill describes the loss as the toughest thing life has dealt him. Bill is the sole caregiver for his 90 year old mother and may need to take early retirement to continue in that role. Prayers for comfort, strength, and wisdom are welcome.
12/23 – Prayers are requested for Inspector’s boss, “B”, who is in his early 40s, and is being hit hard by Covid. He went to ER, after coughing so badly that he separated a couple of ribs. The pain in his ribs is so bad he doesn’t want to cough, which increases the odds of pneumonia. Please pray for healing.
For submission guidelines and other relevant info, please contact Annie's Stew, who is managing the prayer list. You can contact her at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. If you see a prayer request posted in a thread comment, feel free to copy and paste it and e-mail it to Annie's Stew. She tries to keep up with the requests in the threads, but she's not here all of the time, so she may not see it unless you e-mail it to her. Please note: Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks or so unless we receive an update.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
AMD stopped making the 5800X3D probably because it was too competitive against newer models. Maybe they'll consider restarting production if nobody can afford memory for the new models, which are DDR5-only.
Intel's 12th through 14th generation CPUs support both DDR4 and DDR5 depending on the motherboard.
DDR4 memory is also astronomically expensive as well - though not quite as bad as DDR5 - but people likely already have it. A relative mentioned he'd recovered at least 50 DDR4 modules from PCs being scrapped at the office, and he's not alone in that.
It's only about 2% faster than the regular 9950X3D on general benchmark results, which is precisely why AMD hasn't produced such a chip before. The company already sells server chips with V-cache on every CPU die, so it was always possible, just not useful in most cases.
All with high refresh rates, so the graphics card you can't afford in the computer you can't build won't be able to keep up but if you just need a new monitor and plan to hang onto it after the present insanity dies down, the 27" model might not be bad.
Sharon and Andy Longhurst started Burntisland Hedgehog Haven nearly three years ago after rescuing two sick hedgehogs they found by the roadside. The experience inspired them to learn how to care for the tiny creatures -- and before long, their passion turned into a full-time mission to save them.
Since then, the Longhursts have treated 567 hedgehogs, caring for sick, injured, and orphaned ones around the clock. Their garage has been transformed into an ICU with seven incubators and 40 cages, while their garden now hosts a special hedgehog maternity ward. A dedicated team of 18 volunteers helps with cleaning, feeding, and transporting hedgehogs in the rescue's "Hogbulances."
Sharon, who works as a school crossing guard, and Andy, a bus driver, have poured their hearts -- and much of their free time -- into keeping the rescue running. They even fundraise through local events, raffles, and races to cover monthly costs of about £800 for food, bedding, and electricity, plus another £3,500 a year for vet bills.
"If there's a hedgehog out there that needs help and it's in pain, I can't say no," Sharon told BBC News. "It's a full-time job -- we always say we have to draw a line, but then the phone rings and we say, 'Bring it in.'"
...
Of the hundreds of hedgehogs they've treated, 65% have survived and been released back into the wild -- a meaningful achievement given that European hedgehogs are now listed as "near threatened" due to habitat loss and other environmental pressures.
"We'll do this until we're unable to," Andy said. "They're adorable -- really lovely animals."
Yes, jetpacks are actively being tested by militaries, especially the British Royal Marines and Royal Navy, to move personnel between ships or from ship to shore for faster boarding, reconnaissance, and tactical access, using companies like Gravity Industries's suits that resemble Iron Man's tech and offer potential for combat medics and pilot rescue, moving beyond simple transfers to tactical swarming
The Most Played Movies on HBO During the 80s Open Thread
—Ace
I would call this The Beastmaster thread, but prepare for disappointment: Even the guy compiling this list is shocked that Beastmaster doesn't actually make his list.
But I do have questions. He counts by air dates. Not by times. The difference is that HBO could show a movie on a specific date, but how many times did it show it on that date? He doesn't have that information.
I know that kid-friendly PG movies played all day long on HBO, so maybe a listing of airings by number of times actually aired would give some love to Beastmaster.
The Biden family Christmas picture is a perfect metaphor for his "Presidency" as I am sure he was as fully obscured in that role by Hunter and Dr Jill as he is in this picture. I am surprised though that the auto-pen was not also included. pic.twitter.com/JVlnIwXrQN
This is insane. He starts off skiing from the top of Mount Everest pretty slowly, but then he hits some very steep areas where slow skiing is pretty much impossible. For long dangerous runs, he's just grinding down on steep ice.
I kept wondering: What happens if he loses a ski?
Also, I wonder: What if he goes over the edge?
And he is on the edge of a precarious ridgeline a few times.
For example, at 6:45 in the video, and 10:00. And around 16:00.
For those with vertigo: Content warning.
This took place a month ago. Apparently it's a first. At least, climbing Everest and then skiing down without oxygen tanks is a first.
Really amazing. Insane! Consider going full screen for this one or watching it on your TV.
Having watched it all, the fish-eye lens he uses makes the drops appear steeper and deadlier than they are. But... that's really only adding a little bit to it.
And he wasn't even the only guy to ski down Everest last month. An American, Jim Morrison, skied the very dangerous North Face. Though he skied a "gnarlier line," he had the benefit of supplemental oxygen.
THE MORNING RANT: We Should Cheer for Bari Weiss to Fail in Her Effort to Rehabilitate CBS’ Reputation
—Buck Throckmorton
There is a civil war being fought at CBS News. The battle is being played out between Bari Weiss, its new left-of-center editor-in-chief, and the left-of-Trotsky journalists she inherited at the laughingstock news operation.
There are many conservatives cheering Ms. Weiss on in her battle against her hyper-partisan corps of journalists. I’m not one of them. In fact, I’m cheering for the insurgent “journalists” to prevail, and to maintain CBS News’ well-earned reputation for being unethical, dishonest, and openly hostile to impartial political coverage.
In fact, my worst fear is that Ms. Weiss might succeed in restoring CBS News to a level of respectability such that it might able to reassert its liberal influence on politics as it once did.
The recent imbroglio is due to Ms. Weiss yanking a typical 60 Minutes hit job just hours before it was to air. If you are reading this, you are almost certainly acquainted with the story. A 60 Minutes journalist, Sharyn Alfonsi, who has a history of dishonest hit jobs against Republicans*, produced a sob story about Venezuelan illegal immigrants being deported to “CECOT,” a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. (*In 2021, Ms. Alfonsi famously ran a hit piece against Ron DeSantis accusing him of prioritizing Publix as a provider of Covid shots in exchange for campaign contributions. The story was subsequently debunked and widely criticized by Florida politicians of both parties.)
Ms. Alfonsi’s story alleged that these Venezuelan deportees were being tortured at CECOT at the behest of the Trump administration, but she did not bother to provide any rebuttals from the Trump administration, which had been provided to CBS News, as acknowledged by left-wing outlet Axios:
• One of the main reasons Weiss cited for pulling the segment was that the "60 Minutes" team didn't include any of the three on-the-record statements from the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security that were provided to CBS News journalists.
• According to a source familiar with the "60 Minutes" team's correspondence with the administration, journalists reached out to press officials at the White House, State Department and DHS, all of which provided comment to CBS News ahead of the piece's anticipated run date.
• None of those comments, which varied in length and substance, were included in the piece.
We all know 60 Minutes as the show on which Dan Rather self-immolated his career by using forged military documents in an effort to harm George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign. It’s also the show that spliced together various ramblings of Kamala Harris in 2024 to try to make it sound like she was making coherent answers to questions. And 60 Minutes is also the show that falsely claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop was not really his in the last weeks of the 2020 election, in an effort to push Joe Biden over the finish line.
CBS News has a well-earned reputation for being a place where journalistic malpractice is not considered a problem, it’s policy. I don’t want that to change. As Margot Cleveland joked about 60 Minutes”At this point I wouldn't even trust CBS News division to tell me how many minutes were in an hour...”
Americans’ confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low, with just 28% expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. This is down from 31% last year and 40% five years ago.
Meanwhile, seven in 10 U.S. adults now say they have “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%).
The legacy media is fully discredited, and that is a good thing. There is no “scandal” that network news divisions can promote at this point that will be taken as fact.
It’s important to remember that Bari Weiss does not dispute the general thesis of the 60 Minutes piece that was pulled, specifically that deportees are being subject to Trump-approved torture. She simply wants the story to come across as impartial journalism, not as another clumsy “we finally got him” hit job.
Therefore, I hope Ms. Weiss fails. The last thing we need is for the legacy media to have its reputation restored to a point that it can once again promote left-wing propaganda with a veneer of respectability. Instead, let CBS and the rest of the legacy news media proceed down the path to permanent irrelevance.
Good morning kids. Hope you all had a very merry and blessed Christmas. With that in mind, as well as an early doctor's appointment for the wife, I really am going to try and keep things brief and posting a little earlier than usual, so away we go.
President Trump announced Thursday that the US military hit ISIS terrorists in Nigeria targeting Christians with “numerous” deadly airstrikes.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” the president continued.
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
US Africa Command said the Christmas Day strike was carried out in Sokoto state and initial assessments indicate “multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps.”
The Department of War shared unclassified footage of a missile being launched from the deck of a military vessel after Trump announced the operation.
The Pentagon coordinated with the Nigerian government ahead of the strikes.
“The Department of War worked with the government of Nigeria to carry out these strikes,” a War Department official told The Post.
“These strikes were approved by the government of Nigeria.”
. . . The airstrikes come one day after a bomb ripped through a mosque in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, killing five people and injuring dozens, in a suspected suicide attack.
The African nation has been plagued by violence carried out by multiple armed militant groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province.
I have some mixed feelings about this. First of all, the government of Nigeria hasn't done a damn thing to protect its own citizens and has allowed the cancer of Islam, in this case the strain known as Boko Haram, to fester within its borders for years. That said, Islam is spilling a river of blood all across the Western World as we witnessed in abject horror just last week in Bondi Beach, while western leaders are burying their heads, prior to being lopped off by Khalid's rusty hacksaw, in the sand and worse, blaming the victims and celebrating the butchers as the real victims.
While there is no such thing as "Radical" Islam because that is a redundancy. Islam itself is an evil, "radical" retrograde genocidal political movement that for 1500 years has sought the domination and/or destruction of the world. Whom they can neither convince nor dupe nor force into conversion they will annihilate.
On the one hand it is a good thing that President Trump and therefore America is picking up the mantle of defender of civilization as no other nation nor leader is capable or willing to do the same, On the other hand my fear is American boots on the ground in Africa. It should be noted that Nigeria and much of the African continent is rich in natural resources including petroleum as well as the much coveted and discussed rare earth elements. So much so that the Red Chinese are desperate to set up shop and in essence put the dark continent into its sphere of influence, like everywhere else on planet earth, so denying yet another retrograde tyranny the means and bases with which to challenge America's vital foreign interests and security would be a positive in supporting the Nigerian government. On these pages and on the latest episode of the podcast linked here, and in the sidebar as well as on the usual popular outlets listed below, CBD and I discussed President Trump's recent announcement of his desire to construct a fleet of 25 modern battleships.
This of course is sheer folly, but at least it sends a message that he and we mean business when it comes to defending our interests at home and abroad.
But what are our interests? While it's certainly a good thing that the literal cutting edge of Islam is met and beaten back with blunt force. I fear that by not shedding this ridiculous and self-defeating notion of legitimizing the idiocy of the twin myths of both "radical" and "moderate" or mainstream Islam, we are ultimately doomed to fail. President Trump is usually very good at boxing his enemies into rhetorical corners and confronting them with their hipocrisies and shoving them down their throat. Here is the golden (pun intended) opportunity for Trump to call on these alleged Moderate Muslims to publicly renounce and reject any and alll Koranic/Isamic teachings calling for the death of infidels. When this is of course summarily rejected and or denied, those who have eyes to see will see it plain as day.
The cutting edge of ISlam is right under our nose and creeping down towards our jugular vein.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said there was a possibility that the potential $9 billion in welfare fraud allegedly committed in Minnesota may have been sent to terrorists in Somalia. “Do you sense, Congressman Gill, that any of your Democrat colleagues in Congress, in the House, are so outraged that they’ll actually join in the investigation or maybe try to give a little bit of credence to this bill?” guest host Kellyanne Conway asked. “I mean, they they’ve got to feel outraged that billions of dollars meant to go and feed hungry people could have gone to Somalia — certainly went to fraud and waste and abuse and not to those truly in need. . “You know, I hope that Democrats recognize how unbelievably corrupt this is, how it undermines our entire social system, our entire economic system, and gets on board,” he continued. “But, you know, they’ve been pretty hesitant to do that so far. The Democrat playbook has been import as many unassimilable foreigners as they possibly can, get them on the dole, and ensure that these people vote Democrat for life. That’s what we’re up against here.”
Hope over experience. Feh. A quick spin of your Replogle globe will show that Somalia is just a couple of not very long Tarzan vine swings from Nigeria. No doubt that Boko Haram, ISIS or whatever in Somalia, the Houthis just across the Red Sea and every other clit-clipper and head chopper are all interconnected. And far too many of them are right here already in the US of A.
But I better erase all of this as I wouldn't want to be labeled Islamphobic. Let's not lose our heads. Literally!
On all these cheery notes, have a great weekend!
And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.
CIVIL WAR 2.0, LEFTIST PERSECUTIONS, DEMOCRAT PUTSCH, AMERICAN DISSOLUTION
The erosion of the philosophical and institutional/constitutional structure of America has intensified during a period exceeding one hundred years beginning with Woodrow Wilson. Our Nation Is Reversing Course
Indonesia has a reputation for being a “moderate” Muslim nation, but the wind in the Islamic world as a whole is blowing in the opposite direction, as a group of Christians has just discovered. Notice that it has now been nearly a quarter-century since 9/11, and while we have seen heroic individual Muslims such as Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled one of the Bondi Beach jihadis, we have never seen any large-scale Muslim action against terrorism. We have never seen Muslims form a human wall to block an Islamic jihad attack, or to stop a woman from being abused in accord with the direction to “beat” disobedient women in the Qur’an (4:34). But forming a human wall to prevent Christians from celebrating Christmas? No problem. Muslims in Indonesia Show Christians What They Think of Them
“You know, I hope that Democrats recognize how unbelievably corrupt this is, how it undermines our entire social system, our entire economic system, and gets on board,” he continued. “But, you know, they’ve been pretty hesitant to do that so far. The Democrat playbook has been import as many unassimilable foreigners as they possibly can, get them on the dole, and ensure that these people vote Democrat for life. That’s what we’re up against here.” GOP Rep. Gill: MN Welfare Fraud Money ‘Could Have Been Funneled to Al-Shabaab Terrorists in Somalia’
OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY/LEFTIST-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM, ANTI-CHRISTIANITY
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has cancelled MaineCare payments to Gateway Community Services after the audits found that the charity over billed the state for $1,068,598 from March 2021 through December 2022. The cash was supposedly to cover the costs of “interpreting services” to Somali migrants, the Bangor Daily News reported. Maine Suspends Payments to Somali Charity after $1M in Fraud Uncovered by Audits
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,
EVs aren’t failing because consumers don’t want them, but because tariffs block affordable competition—leaving Americans stuck with costly choices the rest of the world has outgrown. Let Americans Choose Their Cars—Not the Government
For politicians, scandal and controversy can be bad. But becoming the object of ridicule can be even more devastating. So if Kamala Harris happens to read these words, we'd advise her NOT to watch CNN's 7 am Christmas Day hour. What she'd find under the tree will be something worse than a lump of coal. It will be a steaming pile of . . . ridicule. It's almost 2026, so why not a horse race segment on 2028 presidential contenders? After Dem Meghan Hays and Republican Melik Abdul named their favorites, Abdul observed: "Notably, who we're not talking about: Kamala Harris."Host John Berman put it to Hays: "Why aren't we talking about her, Meghan?" Abdul burst into laughter, amused to see Hays thusly put on the spot, and even Berman couldn't suppress a grin. Hays proceeded to engage in an extended bout of nervous laughter. She questioned whether Harris has a base and could raise money. Kamala '28? A CNN Democrat Laughs Nervously!
Chile is the world’s largest copper producer and second-largest lithium producer – a mineral heavyweight whose fate could decide that of the entire “green” energy industry. Kast entered December’s presidential election as a two-time veteran of the race for the nation’s top office, last losing to incumbent President Gabriel Boric in 2021. He defeated his rival, Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara, in an unprecedented landslide this time, taking every Chilean state. He ran on a campaign focused on strengthening Chile’s borders, limiting immigration, expanding “popular capitalism,” and fighting crime. Chile’s Conservative President-Elect Complicates China’s Mineral Ambitions in South America
Argentina’s President Javier Milei is on track to make economic history in a country shedding the trauma of socialism after decades of stagnation. Two Years of Javier Milei
FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
A bill which would allow men to opt into women’s prisons, jails and other incarceration facilities throughout New York State has been amended and resubmitted to a New York State Senate Committee for consideration New York Won’t Give Up Its Efforts to House Men in Women’s Prisons
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
I gave Buddy the same dialogue as in the commercial, using my son's name rather than Emma. Hearing that same manufactured voice say my kid's name out loud set alarm bells off in my head. An AI generated Buddy in front of the Eiffel Tower? Sorta weird, sorta cute. AI Buddy addressing my son by name? Nope, absolutely not, no thank you.
Even the idiots at The Verge are, when it comes down to it, human.
Amazon's gen-AI dubs became a shining example of how poorly this technology can perform. They also highlighted how some studios aren't putting all that much effort into making sure that their gen AI-derived projects are polished enough to be released to the public. That was also true of Amazon's machine-generated TV recaps, which frequently got details about different shows very wrong. Both of these fiascos made it seem as if Amazon somehow thought that people wouldn't notice or care about AI's inability to consistently generate high-quality outputs. The studio quickly pulled its AI-dubbed series and the recap feature down, but it didn't say that it wouldn't try this kind of nonsense again.
It has a 16-core 55W Ryzen 8945HX and room for two SODIMMs and two M.2 SSDs. Three video outputs, three audio jacks, four USB ports, and 2.5Gb Ethernet.
A soldered-in CPU might seem like a bad idea until you realise that this board is as fast as a 12-core Ryzen 9900X desktop CPU and also costs the same as a 12-core Ryzen 9900X.
I mean, sure, I guess. OCuLink is for external PCIe devices and this only works if you have internal PCIe slots available. Useful if you have a system that can only fit a half-height single-slot card and you want to attach a GPU.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: A sin? A mere peccadillo, I would say. More sherry?
4:58 am on Christmas morning and mom has already started the chain of lung darts that will be necessary to endure this shitshow … pic.twitter.com/TnWbbnPkeh
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Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me. For Christmas, here is the ultimate Rush deep cut!
🎅🐾 Santa Paws has arrived! 🐾🎁 Today is the day when every dog in our care chooses their own Christmas surprise ✨ Wagging tails, happy hearts and pure festive magic 🐶💖#SantaPawsDaypic.twitter.com/x5Ca7GUuzC
Lost traditions of the Christmas buying and decorating season -- Christmas savers' clubs, Christmas stamps, layaway plans, bubble lights, Humbold statues,
This isn't Christmas Eve fare, and I thought about waiting until the 26th to post it, but supposedly an amateur detective has solved the Zodiac killer mystery. And the horrific Black Dahlia killing. He says it's the same person! I always thought of them as very far apart in time but I think Black Dahlia was mid-fifties (nope, 1947) mid and the Zodiac murders began in 1968 so it's possible it's the same killer.
The killer, if it's the same man, would have been in his 20s when he killed the Black Dahlia and his 40s when he did the Zodiac murders. Possible.
A little caveat: I saw someone snark on Reddit, "The Zodiac case gets solved more often than Wordle." There are a ton of coincidences here, supposedly, like a Zodiac cipher being solved by the name "Elizabeth." Elizabeth Short was the name of the so-called Black Dahlia.
If you don't know about the Black Dahlia, don't look it up. Just accept that it's grisly on the level of Jack the Ripper.
Yes, the named suspect resembles the police sketch of Zodiac.
Podcast: Will Ukraine be a flashpoint for a Korean conflict, Trump's intemperate Reiner comments, it's the economy stupid! the Monroe/Trump Doctrine, Bondi, Brown, MIT, and more!
Megyn Kelly finally calls out Candace Owens
Whoops, I meant she bravely attacks Sydney Sweeney for "bending the knee." (Sweeney put out a very empty PR statement saying "I'm against hate." Whoop-de-doo.)
Megyn Kelly claims she doesn't want to call people out on the right when asked about Candace Owens but then has no compunctions at all about calling people out on the right.
As long as they're not Candace Owens. Strangely, she seems blind and deaf to anything Candace Owens says. That's why this woman calls her "Megyn Keller."
She's now asking her pay-pigs in Pakistan how they think she should address the Candace Owens situation, and if they think this is really all about Israel and the Jews.
Podcast: Pete Hegseth is everything the left hates...and we love! Illinois is the next flashpoint for federal supremacy with regard to our borders, Trump's communication leaves something to be desired, and more!
I have happily forgotten what Milo Yiannopoulos sounds like, but I still enjoyed this impression from from Ami Kozak.
Well, bamboo is actually a type of grass, and underground, it's all connected in a sprawling network, just like the parts of this story I never wanted to tell. I wish I hadn't been put in this position, that I didn't have to write about any of this, that I didn't have to subject myself or my loved ones to embarrassment and further loss of privacy.
We're back to the fucking bamboo. Guys, I don't think I can pay for bamboo ruminations.
I think he added that because he was embarrassed about all the bamboo imagery from Part 1. He's justifying his twin obsessions: His ex, and bamboo. Which is not a tree but a kind of grass, he'll have you know.
On Tuesday, the book arrived in stores. At lunchtime, in the Midtown Manhattan nexus of media and publishing, interest in Nuzzi's story seemed more muted. The Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue had seven copies tucked into a "New & Notable" rack next to the escalator, below Malala Yousafzai's "Finding My Way." Not many had sold so far, a store employee said.
A few blocks uptown, at a branch of the local independent chain McNally Jackson Books, a few volumes lay on a table of new and noteworthy nonfiction near the front of the store. No one was lining up to get them, or even browsing. Bookseller Alex Howe told CNN around 3 p.m. that though the store had procured "several dozen" copies, not a single one had yet sold -- a figure he said was surprising, considering how many people in media and publishing work in the area.
"We ordered a lot and so far, people have not been beating down the door," Howe said. "I'm not sure where we're gonna put them because right now, supply is outpacing demand." (A manager at McNally Jackson noted that Howe was speaking only in a personal capacity, not as a representative of the store.)
She trashes Ryan Lizza for his "Revenge Porn" here. Emily Jashinsky says that when the Bulwark's gay grifter Tim Miller asked why she didn't report on the (alleged) use of ketamine by RFKJr., she broke down in tears and asked to end the interview.
